Will of the Force
by Dinfire
Summary: After the events of The Force Awakens, Rey, Finn and Poe have their destinies once more intertwined when a mission goes wrong.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Rey didn't quite know what to expect of Luke Skywalker, so many being the legends about him. So when she first found him, she didn't have words. She just stared at him as she gave him his old lightsaber.

She couldn't say how long they stood there, motionless, before Luke moved, taking the lightsaber from her hand and smiling at her, a smile that seemed so damn familiar – she just couldn't say from where.

Rey hesitated, before finally asking the question that had been running through her mind ever since she talked to Maz Kanata. "Are you my father?"

Luke didn't answer for a moment, looking away from her for the first time since he first turned to find her there, and then he finally looked back. Rey's heart beat strong inside of her chest as she waited for his answer. "Not exactly," The answer didn't help making Rey less confused. She wondered if Luke was as mysterious and vague as Kanata had been. "I knew your mother. She died when you were born and I could feel your strength in the Force. I took you in, then. So I guess I could say you are my adopted daughter."

Rey couldn't help the next question to leave her mouth. "Why did you abandon me?" She knew it was probably not the best thing to ask, but she had spent years wondering what had happened to her family. And now that she knew she had something close to one, who had spent years apparently doing nothing in this planet. She didn't understand.

"I thought you were dead, until today," Luke admitted, and Rey looked at him, surprised. If it hadn't been him to leave her in Jakku, then who had? "The moment I felt you, even before I turned around, I knew it couldn't be anyone else, I knew it meant you survived. I love you, Padmé."

Rey's already fast-beating heart managed to beat even faster. Padmé. She had wondered what her name was for years, she couldn't remember her real one, Rey had come from the helmet that she found when she was young.

But Padmé. It was a good name. She wasn't sure she would be able to start thinking of herself as that, but it was so good to know for sure she came from somewhere.

That she was someone.

"I go by Rey now, I couldn't remember… Padmé. Were you the one who gave me that name or- or my mother?"

Luke smiled warmly and Rey felt the urge to hug him. "I did. I thought about giving you your mother's name – Keri – but she said she didn't want that, before she died. So I gave you my mother's name. I never met her. I thought maybe, since you would never meet yours, it made sense."

Rey knew she was crying, but she had dreamt of that for years, for as long as she could remember. So she did hug Luke, then. It felt right, it was everything she had ever hoped for, that she spent so long waiting for.

She could have hugged him for hours, but she had gone there with a purpose besides only finding out for sure whether or not Luke was her father. "I was sent here by General Organa. The First Order, I don't know if you've heard of it, is attacking. They destroyed the main Republic center, the system is a mess right now, most of the Senators are dead, so is the Chancellor. We need help."

Luke sighed before nodding. "I felt something wrong happen through the Force, I'll help, of course. But the main reason the First Order is a problem is Snoke. He corrupted Ben, and he's stronger in the Force than the Republic could ever handle. I came here hoping to find a way to discover more about him – he's no Sith, but he uses the Dark Side better than my father used to. I'm still not sure how to defeat him, however."

Rey didn't quite have words for that, Snoke – she had seen him for a moment, when she had seen inside Kylo Ren's mind. Was Kylo Ren Ben? She thought she had heard Han call him that before his death, but at the time dismissed it as a mistake because of how apart she was from the two.

"There are no other Jedi?" Rey asked. If he couldn't do it alone, maybe he could with more help. It wasn't possible that all Jedi were wiped out, was it?

"Not anymore," Luke answered weakly, memories clearly coursing through his mind.

"Then," Rey breathed, making a choice, before her voice became stronger. "Then make me one." She ran away from the Force before her battle with Kylo Ren, but now, she knew her destiny belonged to it. That she was supposed to be a Jedi.

Luke smiled, like he had already been expecting that. Maybe he had.

"I feel like we were brought together from the start so I could train you. It was the will of the Force. But the way of the Jedi isn't easy," Luke said, turning in the direction of the Temple close to them. "But I should teach you differently than I did the Order. That didn't turn out so well in the end, did it?"

Rey didn't give an answer; she didn't think he wanted one. She still didn't know what had happened to the Order, she didn't even know there had been one. But maybe with time he would tell her. They had time now.

For the first time, Rey knew for sure she would have time to be close to her father, even if not by blood.

"It won't be easy," Luke warned again, giving her a last chance to back away. She wouldn't.

"I know," Rey said simply in return.

She could do it.

* * *

When the Millenium Falcon brought Finn back unconscious, Poe hadn't quite known what to expect. He had felt a connection to the Stormtrooper from the moment they first met, he had for a moment thought he was dead, but he turned out to have been OK.

Then why was it that when he thought they had won, that Finn was safe, he came back in a coma?

It had been a few weeks since Rey left to find Luke Skywalker and Poe still couldn't quite believe everything that happened from the moment he first landed on Jakku. He went to see Finn every day, always hoping for a change.

But that wasn't possible, he kept hearing, for Finn to wake up, especially to wake up with movement left in his body, would be nothing short of a miracle. But Poe believed it, maybe enough that the Force would make this miracle happen.

Most of the Black Squadron seemed incredibly amused by how much time he spent close to Finn, everyone seemed to think he had a crush on him. Poe wasn't sure that was true, he had always been too focused on the mission, to fly for the Republic and then for the Resistance, to worry about things like crushes.

But at the same time, he knew he wouldn't have cared as much about most people being in a coma the way he cared about Finn. It was confusing, and he hoped Finn would wake up soon so he could start making sense of these feelings.

It was during one of his visits to Finn that he received the message that he was being called by General Organa for a meeting. Worried, but at the same time excited, he went to see what it was about.

He was the last member of Black Squadron to show up to the meeting, he realized as soon as he saw his mates that they were being sent in a mission. That was a good thing, he could occupy his mind from his worry over Finn.

"We have received information from multiple sources that the First Order base on Daxan Beta is undergoing a personnel problem due to the recent destruction of Starkiller Base and this is the best chance we've got to destroy it. If we wait too long, they may relocate the base somewhere else, or abandon it completely. You are tasked with making the most damage possible in the base, as to make the First Order preoccupied and thus unable of finding to where we've relocated for a while," General Organa explained and Poe could see his entire Squadron paying attention to her orders.

It wasn't a hard mission in theory – certainly not anywhere near as dangerous as destroying Starkiller Base – but for some reason he had a bad feeling about this.

Against his better judgment, Poe ignored his bad feeling, chalking it up to just being unwilling to stay too long without making sure Finn was still alive. It had been the one thing in his mind the most ever since he first met Finn, after all.

He ordered for his Squadron to prepare, they would leave during the night.

As soon as they were dismissed by the General, Poe found himself going back to Finn before even checking on his X-Wing, if he was leaving, he needed to see Finn one more time.

"Hey, Finn," Poe said quietly. He didn't usually talk when he visited Finn, happy to just make sure he was still breathing, but he felt the need for something different, this time. "I'll be leaving for a few days, big Resistance mission. I'll see you when I get back, alright? Stay safe," He whispered the last part, pressing his hand on Finn's for a moment before turning to leave.

Much to his surprise, however, Finn's hand held his back.

Poe turned back to Finn in surprise, Finn's eyes were open. He seemed to be struggling to say something and Poe waited, still holding his hand.

"What-What happened?" Finn asked weakly.

"We destroyed Starkiller Base, Rey brought you back, you've been in coma for a few weeks now," Poe answered.

"Where's Rey?" Finn asked again, his voice getting a bit stronger, but still raspy.

"She left. To look for Luke Skywalker, not that long after," Poe said, trying to hide the sudden sadness at Rey being the first person in Finn's mind. Finn seemed sad at hearing this, and even thought it bothered Poe a bit, he knew he had to make Finn feel better, he disliked that look on Finn's face. "She stopped to say goodbye when she left though," It wasn't much, but he didn't know what else to give him.

Finn sighed, and then the Droid that had been taking care of him realized he was awake and everyone started going do tests on him and Poe wasn't able to say anything else. He nodded at Finn, who nodded back.

Poe felt more relaxed now, Finn was awake despite everyone saying he wouldn't wake up, maybe after his mission they'd have more time to talk.

Poe checked his X-Wing, looking for anything wrong with BB-8's help, and he was soon done, with the repairs done to his ship following the attack on Starkiller, there wasn't anything left to fix.

Soon it became time to take off and he prepared to get inside of his ship.

"Poe!" Finn called, and Poe looked around to see Finn walking – or, limping – in his direction. A smile broke off in his mouth despite himself.

"What are you doing here, walking? Somehow I don't think you're supposed to," Poe said, approaching Finn and hugging him. He noticed Finn was wearing his – their? – jacket, and his smile widened.

"Yeah, I found out you were going off in some mission, I had to say goodbye, it's enough I was sleeping and didn't have the chance to do that with Rey," Finn said, also smiling.

"I'll see you soon, Finn," Poe said, putting his hand on Finn's shoulder for a moment before going to his X-Wing.

He had a mission to think about now, but the fact Finn had went against orders to talk to him one more time before he left made Poe keep smiling.

During all this, he didn't notice his bad feeling hadn't disappeared even after Finn woke up.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It had been a few days since Finn woke up from his coma and Poe left, and the best word Finn had to explain how things had been since then was 'boring.

Not only did he get scolded for leaving the medical bay to say goodbye to Poe, doing that had actually worsened his body's state – which maybe meant they were right about telling him not to get up, but it had been necessary. He hadn't been able to say goodbye to Rey, doing that to his only other friend was the least he could do.

So since Poe left in a big adventure, the only thing he did was try and make his body recover, with the help of Med-Droids.

At the moment, he was going on a walk throughout the land that surrounded the Resistance base, he had been ordered to do that, and there were worse things to do than walk.

As he walked, he had with him a comlink, the only thing that had been left of his Stormtrooper clothes. He didn't know he still had it on him after taking the armor off, but he found it on the side of his bed in the medical bay and had been compelled by something – maybe the Force, but he wasn't sure he had that – to take it. He felt it would be important for some reason.

He wondered about Rey, whether she had found Luke Skywalker, and where they were now if she had, was he training her? He missed Rey. She had looked at him differently than everyone else, besides maybe Poe, ever had.

He wasn't a weapon, the means for the First Order to acquire power.

He was Finn.

The name Poe gave him still made him smile a bit, as all the other Stormtroopers he had never known his parents, or his real name. Having a name made he feel like he belonged somewhere, and it was alongside the Resistance, as much as he had tried to run right after defecting.

He wasn't sure how long he had walked when his comlink, that was absolutely silent the entire time (probably because everyone already knew he defected), suddenly started making noises.

It was hard to discern what was being said, at first he couldn't hear anything.

But then the comlink got clearer. "Daxan Beta is not unprotected. It's a trap."

He wasn't entirely sure he got it right, he had never heard of Daxan Beta before, though he imagined it was a planet, and if this was someone from the First Order talking, why would they tell him, of all people, that?

Maybe there was someone like him there, someone who realized the First Order wasn't what the Galaxy needed, someone who also rose above the conditioning. The only reason he managed to get out was with Poe's help, maybe they weren't so luck and since they didn't have any choice besides stay they wanted to at least try to help?

Worried and with this in mind, Finn wondered what to do. He knew most people on the Resistance didn't trust him just yet, so he wasn't sure they would take his warning seriously. But at the same time, even if he didn't know the importance of Daxan Beta, it had to be something important for the words to even come to him in the first place.

Deciding to inform someone about it, he went to the first Resistance high up he could find, Admiral Statura. It wasn't as good as General Organa, but he was sure to be helpful enough.

"Admiral," Finn said, fearing his voice was a bit awkward. "I still have the comlink of when I was a Stormtrooper and I just heard something I think you should know."

Statura looked at him for a moment and Finn could see he didn't trust him. It wasn't surprising, Finn didn't think of himself as having done enough yet to become a true member of the Resistance, but in this case he needed to hear. To understand.

Finn wouldn't be able to explain if someone asked why he was so eager to tell someone about that, he just felt in his very being there was something wrong, and Statura was his best chance.

"Look, kid, we're letting you stay around because Dameron vouched for you and the General trusts his judgment," Statura started and Finn tried to hide his surprised. He didn't know about that, though maybe he should have suspected. Getting into the Resistance when almost everyone there looked at him like some sort of monster, it had been too easy. "But you say you have a Stormtrooper comlink and think whatever you heard there is real? Face it, they know you're with us, and they want us to walk into a trap."

Finn hadn't thought of that.

But even as he heard the Admiral, a part of him still felt like that was wrong, like there was something bigger going on.

"It was different. My comlink has been silent ever since I woke up and yes, I knew it was because they are aware I defected, Captain Phasma called me a traitor when I was in Starkiller Base. But this message, it sounded real. It said something about Daxan Beta, and I think there might be something wrong," Finn explained, sounding desperate without even understanding why.

"You weren't supposed to have heard about Daxan Beta, I'll have to inform General Organa of a breach in our security. Go along your way, but she'll probably have words for you later," Admiral Statura commanded, going back to his original direction.

And Finn couldn't do anything but watch him go, feeling like someone was crushing his heart. It was a weird feeling.

But Statura had said that he was going to tell General Organa, so maybe not everything was lost? He didn't know what kind of relationship Poe had with her, but if she trusted his judgment on Finn, maybe she would believe he knew what he was talking about when it came to the warning in his comlink.

That knowledge didn't exactly help him calm down, but it did give him hope. He would wait until the General went to talk to him, and then he would find out exactly what was going on.

* * *

Rey had been training under Luke for weeks now, but the Force never ceased to amaze her.

She knew now what the feeling of it was, and it helped finally giving an explanation from all the times she almost fell from a ship she was scavenging, but then suddenly she managed to do a bigger jump than it supposed to be possible.

Back then she thought it was just her body reacting to the fact she was in danger, never even linked it to the legends about the Force. Rey hadn't really believed it to be true, before meeting BB-8.

It was different now.

Luke said she had the highest Midi-chlorians count of his entire fledging Jedi Order – which she still didn't know how had ended – and while she wasn't entire sure what those were, Luke seemed to think it was a big deal.

And she knew she was strong in the Force. It had somehow helped her during her battle with Kylo Ren, even as she was aware the only reason he lost was that Chewbacca got a shot on him earlier.

Letting the Force flow through her seemed natural, like it was her state of being, and Luke was a great teacher.

It had seemed easy at first, she won against the guy who supposedly slaughtered Luke's Jedi Order, the training couldn't be that hard if she could do that. But then there were things like levitating several rocks at the same time, even levitating the Millenium Falcon at one point!

It was tiring, but being a Jedi was something she felt deep in her bones was her destiny, and being around Luke… she didn't even have the words for it.

He was everything she had ever dreamt her father to be, and even more.

Luke was guarded, and he still hadn't explained why she had been left in Jakku alone all these years besides by saying he thought she was dead.

But she had waited most of her life for a family, now that she finally had one, she was more than willing to overlook the way he acted.

Sometimes she wondered how her life would be, had Kylo Ren not turned to the Dark Side. But Maz had been right in her castle, she needed to look ahead, and so she would.

Just as she finished that thought, she found herself having a Force vision.

It was just as confusing as the previous one, but she recognized Finn, and there was a pilot she remembered seeing with BB-8, and visiting Finn on the medical bay. They had never exchanged words, but she suspected he was Poe Dameron, even if she wasn't sure how he was alive.

She came out of her Force vision being left with only one impression, there was something wrong and the only friend she had ever had got pulled, or would get pulled into it.

Her first instinct was to do something about it, but Rey wasn't quite sure Luke would agree that was the best course of action.

But she could feel through the Force that Finn needed her help, as fast as possible, so she went to talk to Luke. If he said she couldn't go she would just sneak out, there wasn't really a way for Luke to stop her from leaving, even if she didn't put it past him to be able to pull the Falcon back with the Force.

"Master Skywalker," Rey said, approaching him. He looked calm, but his eyes were more troubled than usually. Rey realized she had never called him that before, was it the same way Kylo Ren had, back when he was his apprentice? "I just had a Force vision, I think… I think my friend is in danger, and the Force is telling me I'm needed to help."

Luke stayed quiet for a moment, and then he formed a small smile in his face. "You remind me a lot of myself, when I was younger. Brash, doesn't always thinks decisions through."

"I-

"I was, however, willing to do anything for those I loved. And that was what ultimately saved my father from himself," Luke continued and Rey looked surprised at him. "You need to trust your instincts, Padmé, and above all trust the Force. What does it tell you?"

Rey didn't need to ponder her answer. "That I need to go."

Luke nodded. "I thought you'd say that. Force visions are vague, and don't always tell you what you think it does, but I'll trust your judgment. I will go with you, of course."

"Master, you don't need to! You shouldn't have to do whatever I want to do just because you are training me."

"That isn't really the reason, Rey," Luke said, going over to her and hugging her for a moment. Rey relished each of these hugs, one by one they helped heal all the wounds of her lonely life. "You are my daughter and I haven't been there for you enough in your life, let me start to make it up to you. Also, it has been a while since I've seen my sister. I came here for a reason, and now that I know you, it's now weighting me down anymore."

"What reason?" Rey couldn't help but ask. She was emotional over what she said, but she was also curious, and a part of her still craved for an answer.

"I failed, you know. Everyone. I couldn't revive the Jedi Order like Ben and Yoda wanted, I couldn't raise you like your mother wanted, and I couldn't train Kylo in a way that stopped him from going to the same path as my father," Luke explained and the pain in voice was palpable, Rey felt bad for even asking in the first place. "And to top it all off, I thought my Padawan, my nephew, killed my daughter. I said I came here to find the first Jedi Temple, but I came here to run. I won't do that anymore."

They didn't say a word to each other for the next minutes afterwards, Rey mulled over everything Luke told her, finally told her, and Luke seemed lost in memories.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Rey extended her hand on Luke's direction. "Let's go, I have a friend to rescue."

Luke smiled and took his hand in hers.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"This kid is either being fooled or is a spy for the First Order, General. There is no way this operation is a mistake, we went through all the trustworthy contacts. You need to do something about him!" Admiral Statura raved and Leia tried to stop herself from screaming at him to stop.

She didn't trust the information from the start, the Force, her old friend, warned her there was something wrong, but also urged her to go through with it. Leia still didn't quite understand the Force, and she was sure that wasn't just because she chose not to be trained in it, Luke didn't always seem to have it figured out either and he was the last of the Jedi.

Thinking of her brother hurt. She was happy they finally knew where he was, and Rey had certainly found him by now, but she sorely missed him. Especially now.

Not being with Han was something she could handle, she didn't understand until recently why her husband left, but she always knew he was alive, he was safe.

That wasn't the case anymore. The ripples through the Force when he died, in their own son's hands, Leia hadn't hurt like that since Ben fell. And even then, there had been hope he would come back to the Light.

She didn't know how to feel about Ben anymore, he killed Han but was still her son. And she knew, there was light in him.

"Admiral, tell Finn to meet me here," Leia ordered and Statura left. Just as he left, Leia got a warning that there was a connection being made to the base

With the operators' help, she started the message. "Trap... We... Half... Dead... Leia," Leia could recognize the voice, it was Poe! The connection broke soon after being made, and Leia knew that Finn had heard it right, the attack in Daxan Beta was a trap set by the First Order, but how could they do that?

Leia pondered about this for a few more minutes, she felt like the only way for this to happen was if someone in the Resistance was a spy for the First Order, someone who managed to fool them into thinking it was safe.

But there were so few involved in the Daxan Beta mission, Statura, Ackbar and her were the only ones who truly knew the entire thing and she trusted both of them, it had to be someone else.

Finn then appeared, looking extremely nervous. "I was told you wanted to talk to me, ma'am, General. I don't think I'm being fooled, I swear!"

"I don't think you are, Finn. I just received a message from Poe telling me something went wrong. I think whoever contacted your comlink did have the best of intentions, even if it is extremely rare for the conditioned First Order members to defect, I was surprised when Poe first told me of you," Leia said. "I'm sending a rescue team for them."

"I want to be part of if, ma'am. I have to. Poe was the first person I ever really had a connection to, if he's in danger, I need to help!" Finn's voice was strong now, stronger enough to surprise Leia.

There was a spark in his eyes, a courage very few people she had met matched, it was interesting that two of the others were Poe and Rey, when it seemed the Force had brought them together. But...

"You are barely out of a coma, Finn. I don't think you've been cleared for field yet," Leia said, she had to think of the safety of all her soldiers, including the one in the room with her.

But there was a defiance in Finn's eyes, something that made it clear that he would go, whether or not she approved. Knowing that, it was best to be careful with him.

"I have to go! Poe is in danger and I get the impression I'm needed, somehow. It's almost like it's the damn Force who's telling me that!" Finn complained and Leia smiled.

She knew he was Force-sensitive, had felt his presence in the Force since he first showed up with Han, but it was clear he didn't know it yet. The Force also urged her to let him go, and she would listen.

"You can go," She said and before Finn could commemorate, she decided to tell him the entire thing. "It will be a dangerous mission. If you feel your body isn't up for it, at any point, you fall back. Worse than anything is you being a liability to both yourself and your allies. Understood?"

Finn nodded. "Yes, ma'am," But the courage, the eagerness, didn't leave his eyes.

Leia ordered him to stay there as she chose who to assign this mission to. Her decision ended up being half the Blue Squadron for air coverage, with one of the field teams to help.

As they all reunited in the room for the briefing, Leia felt something in the Force, like something huge was about to happen. "A few days ago, I sent the Black Squadron in a operation to destroy the First Order's base in Daxan Beta. We were led to believe that base had been weakened, it seems we were wrong. I received a message from the Black Leader that seems to incline the Black Squadron is in trouble. Wexley, you and your Squadron will take charge of the sky. Mesdter, you're the field leader. Understood?"

A chorus of 'yes, ma'am' echoed in the room and Leia nodded to herself, sending them in their way.

"Finn," Leia called, just as he left with the others. He stopped and looked at her. "Bring Poe home."

Finn nodded, his face determined, before turning to catch up with the rest of the team.

Leia watched him go worried about the fact he was clearly not absolutely healed after spending so long in a coma, but she knew there wasn't another choice besides letting him go.

"May the Force be with you," Leia whispered, her eyes closing for a moment.

* * *

Luke hadn't left the first Jedi Temple in over ten years. As he prepared to leave it alongside Rey, Chewbacca and Artoo, in the Millennium Falcon no less, it hit him hard how much had happened since he went into hiding.

Luke had done a really good job convincing himself he went there in search for information, and that had been a part of it, but the biggest one? His Apprentice, nephew, his sister and best friend's son had killed his daughter, or so he thought at the time.

He couldn't really face anyone afterwards, he felt like Leia thought Ben falling after she let him train her child exactly to avoid that was his fault. Maybe he was wrong, but he had been overcome with grief and pain back then, he felt like a failure, and that's what he expected everyone else to think of him.

And then the Millennium Falcon landed close to him and he felt his daughter's presence through the Force, brighter than anything he had felt in a very long time.

Padmé - or Rey - made his life have a meaning again. By training her, he felt like the time he lost by being a coward (because was there really any other word for that?) didn't matter so much anymore. He wasn't sure she saw him as a parent, or only a Master, but being part of her life after so many years of believing she was dead was enough to him.

She and Chewbacca flew the Millennium Falcon together and at that moment Luke saw Han. He had felt through the Force, even if not as strongly as he would have in the past, when Han died. And hearing from Rey how it happened didn't lessen the pain. But considering how little contact she had with Han, it was amazing how much she emulated him.

"What am I supposed to do, Master? The Resistance has probably changed Systems by now, and even if I found them, it could be too late to save Finn were he to be somewhere else," Rey said, taking Luke out of his thoughts.

"Trust in the Force," Luke said simply, wondering if he was being as vague and irritating to Rey as Yoda and Ben had seemed to him.

"I'm trying, Master. That doesn't answer much," Rey shot back and Chewie made a sound that sounded like an agreement.

"Do or do not. There is no try," Luke said simply and Rey rolled her eyes.

But right then, he felt as she connected to the Force, he couldn't know exactly what she searched in it, but after a few minutes passed, Rey opened her eyes, going directly to setting the right coordinates for Hyperspace in the Falcon.

"Right. We are headed for Daxan Beta, I don't understand exactly what's happening yet, but it's there," Rey said and the ship entered Hyperspace.

Because of the distance, it would take a couple days for the ship to reach Daxan Beta, so Luke decided he might as well continue Rey's training aboard the ship, memories of Ben and Han when they were headed for Alderaan coming to his head.

"You still need to build your lightsaber," Luke acknowledged, the lightsaber that belonged to his father may be her birthright, but building your own was an important part of the Jedi journey, as he had learnt from the journals Obi-Wan had left him. "Until then, however, you shall use mine."

He took his old lightsaber and handed back to Rey, the moment somewhat similar to when they first saw each other ever since she was a child.

Rey picked up the lightsaber, and seeing her activate it filled him with wonder.

While he had heard the story of her duel with Ben, this was the first time he saw her with a lightsaber after she grew up, her entire training up to that point being about feeling the Force, letting it flow through her. Learning how to use a lightsaber could come later, but if they were to be headed into battle soon, she needed to know more of using it than just her desperate strikes against Kylo Ren.

Luke was pleasantly surprised to find out the training remote Obi-Wan had trained him with in the way to Alderaan was still there and so he activated it. "Block the shots."

Rey did a lot better than he had, that was certainly true, her eyes were closed and her posture was perfect as she blocked shot after shot. After what was about an hour, Luke picked Rey's blaster up. "Let's made this a little more difficult, shall we?"

Rey's eyes widened for a moment and she was briefly caught, one of the shots from the remote hitting her shoulder. She then breathed in and out and soon she had her concentration back, more in tune with the Force than he had been when he was her age.

He couldn't say for how long their training went on, Chewie joining in at some point. When they finally stopped to eat and rest for the rest of the trip, Rey was already feeling brighter in the Force to him, it seemed training that was helped her the way it did him back in Devaron.

They reached the destination and all three prepared to battle, Artoo behind them for any needed Droid support. Luke put his hand on Rey's shoulder for a moment and she turned to him with a hug. The contact warmed his heart and he hugged her back as fiercely as he could.

When the hug was over, Rey's expression changed from touched to determined, she was a woman on a mission.

"May the Force be with you," Luke said, following her out.

"And with you, Master."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Poe should have listened to his bad feeling, he quickly realized.

The first few moments of the operation seemed to be working well, they found a mostly deserted base and his entire Squadron started attacking.

But then, then the First Order attacked.

It seemed Leia's impression of what was happening in Daxan Beta was wrong, because there was no way they had been disorganized and weakened, quite the contrary, actually.

They fought bravely, Poe commanded his team to do their best and he thought they could still have a chance, but when he saw some of his comrades – too many of his comrades – fall, he ordered everyone to go back.

That still wasn't meant to be, however. The First Order cornered them inside of the planet and they couldn't go to Hyperspace while there. Poe found himself having to keep his calm against all odds, he hadn't felt that nervous since he was captured by Kylo Ren, and even then he knew he could still complete his job, since BB-8 was safe.

Now, now Poe thought there was a huge possibility he was going to die for nothing.

"Black 3, Black 5, three more TIEs coming on our back!" Poe screamed as he took the most enemies as he could. If he was going down, he would be sure of making the best fight possible.

"Black Leader, behind you," Black 3 said warningly and Poe managed to avoid a shot, BB-8 screaming at him for almost getting hit.

"Don't worry, BB-8, you know I'm too good for that," Poe said soothingly, with a confidence he didn't really feel.

BB-8 beeped, not really convinced by what he said. That Droid knew him too well.

The battle continued for minutes and before Poe knew it, only 4 of his Squadron, including him, were left. Before he could even fathom everything that had gone wrong he was hit.

Thankfully the hit wasn't enough to take his ship out, but it affected his flying and he knew there was a big possibility he would crash. Hating himself for having to abandon his fleet – because when had he ever done that – he found he had no choice but to go to the ground.

Another shot hit his X-Wing and Poe crash-landed, the forest that covered the entire planet giving cover for him as he and BB-8 exited the ship right before it made noises and all the lights went off.

Poe looked at the third X-Wing he lost due to the First Order and shook his head, were he to come out of it alive Leia would probably lecture him on that. It wasn't his fault it kept happening!

He and BB-8 walked through the forest, the battle ringing strong on Poe's ears as he tried to see through the leaves what was happening in the sky.

Poe couldn't say how long passed as he and his loyal Droid stayed there, BB-8 tried to talk a bit, but Poe felt like a huge failure. Even if they received the wrong information, as the Squadron leader he should have found a way of saving the situation, he wasn't supposed to have gotten everyone killed!

Maybe he should have told Leia he thought there was something wrong, maybe she'd have listened!

Poe sighed and found himself wondering how they had been misled so badly, usually the Resistance contacts were trustworthy, but maybe now that the Republic Senate had been killed they had lost some of the best allies that could find this kind of information.

But he knew that that couldn't be it, either. The Resistance wasn't exactly illegal, but the New Republic tended to avoid making their connection any more obvious than necessary due to Leia's opposition – that had grown 'mysterious' quiet since the First Order blew up the Hosnian system – and the somewhat illegal missions conducted by them.

If they had been fooled, the only choice was an inside job.

There was a traitor somewhere, he knew it.

Finding it was safe enough by then, he went back to his ship to see if it could be salvaged, and after tinkering with it for a while with BB-8's help, he managed to make the comlink work, or at least he hoped so.

He clicked to talk with the Resistance, he needed to tell Leia what was happening. "The mission was a trap, we were attacked right after getting here, the last time I saw the rest of the Squadron, half of them were dead. There's something wrong, Leia, we-

Poe stopped talking when the comlink went dark again. He kept trying to make it work, but it seemed his X-Wing was truly done.

He wasn't even sure whether his message to Leia had worked correctly!

Poe heard movements and turned, seeing ground Stormtroopers arriviving. "BB-8," He whispered. "I think I may have been successful in telling Leia we need reinforcements, I need you to hide until they get here, can you do that?"

BB-8 beeped, disappearing from sight just as the Stormtroopers got there. With five blasters pointed at him, Poe couldn't do anything but put his hands behind his head. "I think you got me, Bucketheads," He quipped, keeping a smirk in his face.

One of the Stormtroopers held him and guided him to their base, Poe just went along with it, whether he died on not wasn't really on his hands anymore, he just hoped BB-8 would be safe.

And that Finn wouldn't go 'heroic' again and tried to save him, considering the last time he tried to save someone he ended up in a coma.

* * *

Rey had expected something different when she left the Millenium Falcon, Chewbacca, Luke and R2 behind her. It seemed that they had gotten to the new Resistance base, was the fight going to happen there? The fact the Force led her there didn't seem to make sense.

But Finn was still in coma, wasn't he? Maybe something was going to happen to him while there, Rey wondered.

Not soon after he got there, however, Finn himself went to her direction. With a smile, she forgot how much she was worried about whatever the Force was trying to tell her and went to hug him.

Finn looked surprised at Rey for a moment, but hugged her back. "It's good to see you, I thought you were off training with Luke Skywalker?"

"I think that would be me," Luke said behind her and Rey observed amused as Finn looked at her Master with wonder. "Are you Finn? Rey has told me a lot about you!"

"She-She has? It's nice to meet you, Luke. Mister Skywalker. Jedi Master, sir," Finn stumbled with his words.

"Luke is fine, Finn," Luke assured, putting his hand on Finn's shoulder for a moment. Finn's eyes followed Luke's hands, and he didn't seem any less impressed.

"Finn, the team is almost ready to leave, why aren't you there-" General Organa started from behind them, until she saw Luke.

Rey watched as Luke and Leia stared at each other, Luke absolutely lightened up and went to talk to her, and Leia had the softest expression in her face since Rey had met her, which to be fair wasn't that long ago.

"The General is right," Finn said, sobered up. "I need to go. Poe is in danger."

"Poe is the one you thought was dead, right? I didn't see him a lot. Also, aren't you wearing his jacket? I thought it got damaged when Kylo Ren almost killed you."

Finn blushed a bit and Rey raised an eyebrow, she didn't know a lot about people, but why would Finn blush? "Yeah, it's my jacket now and… and I've been told Poe fixed it up after we got back from Starkiller. And anyway, yeah, his operation was a trap, we need to help him and I've offered to go!"

Rey was worried about the idea, she didn't think Finn looked absolutely healthy following his brush with death and coma, but there was a determined expression on his face, she didn't think she could talk him out of it.

She could still help, however.

"Alright, I'll go with you, that was the plan anyway."

"You don't need to… and what do you mean it was the plan? I thought you weren't aware Poe was even in danger!" Finn said, confused.

"I thought you were in danger, the Force told me so. I think it wants me to help you save Poe, maybe you'll get killed or something if I don't go!" Rey insisted. She didn't know exactly what the Force wanted, but it seemed to do with Poe and so she would help despite not knowing the guy. He was clearly important to Finn, too, and he was her only friend.

"I won't be able to convince you otherwise, will I?" Finn asked rhetorically and Rey tried to convey how much he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise. "Alright, fine, but you'll have to clear it with General Organa, probably."

"I like to think my aunt will let me go," Rey said, testing the word. It felt as weird as thinking of herself as Padmé or of Luke as her father – or, worse yet, Kylo Ren as her _cousin_ – but she figured she'd have to get used to that. And she liked General Organa.

"Your aunt," Finn repeated. "What the hell did I miss while I was in a coma?"

Rey laughed. "Come on, let's meet with Master Skywalker, the General and the rest of the rescue team. We're going in another adventure together!"

Rey offered her hand to Finn and he lightened up a bit, holding it and squeezing, like the contact was grounding him in some way. The two then headed to where everyone else was.

"We'll save him, Finn, I swear," Rey promised.

She might not know why Poe Dameron was so important to Finn, or what they were for each other, but she had eyes. And Finn was her best friend. She would help in any way she could.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Luke was reeling from being in the same place as his sister for the first time in so long, he didn't even recognize her signature on the Force when he first got there! He ran after the entire mess with Ben and the other Knights of Ren, but he always worried about Leia, even if he knew she was strong enough to persevere despite any hardships.

So he went to talk to her for the first time in ages, and it felt like there was a swirling music theme as they approached each other, and when they first got to each other, at first there were no words exchanged, they just looked at each other. And then, unable to stop himself, Luke hugged Leia, and hugging his twin sister for the first time in fifteen years made him feel that maybe he truly could set things right, by training his daughter, by fighting alongside the Resistance for more than just this rescue mission.

When they separate themselves, Leia slapped his face, and Luke had to bite back a smile as his face stung. "I deserved that," He admitted simply and Leia grinned in response, making him smile for real. "I hope you're alright, after what happened," He said sincerely.

"I'll survive," Leia answered, years upon years of loss weighting on her voice, yet her eyes didn't lose their bite. They said that she would survive anything, to see her Galaxy in peace, rid of the First Order.

"Rey is my daughter, Padmé. The one... the one we thought was dead," Luke said quietly, looking to where Rey was talking to Finn.

"I suspected that, after meeting her. Rey has a lot of you in her, even if you weren't able to raise her," Leia joined him on looking at his daughter. "She is impressive, are you training her?"

"Yes, I feel like the Force is finally telling me to pass my teachings on again. I feel this will go better than with Ben," Luke fought back a wince as soon as he said Leia's son name, but she didn't falter.

Leia didn't say anything in response either, putting her arm around his back instead. Luke smiled and put his arm over her shoulder and the two just stayed there for a second, observing as Rey and Finn went in their direction.

"Can I go, General Organa?" Rey started out asking, and Luke nodded imperceptibly to her, she was doing the right thing. She lightened up at seeing his nod, apparently still seeking assurance that she was doing the right choice at interfering with this.

She was, really. He should have, too, as soon as he realized the First Order would be a problem, he should have fought. He would, now.

"If it's alright with Luke, he is your Master now," Leia answered and Rey smiled, already knowing the answer before he even said anything.

"Yes, of course," Luke said, to neither Rey's nor Leia's surprise. "Of course, I will be going with you."

Leia didn't protest, actually she seemed happy at the idea, though Luke wasn't sure why.

"What information do we have, about whatever mission Poe Dameron was in that got him in trouble?" Rey asked, going directly to the point.

"Finn, can you explain everything for both Rey and Luke on the way? You should probably be going soon," Leia said and Finn nodded, looking nervous.

Luke followed Finn and Rey to the hangar everyone was in as they prepared to leave, and they found the Blue Squadron in there, with some special forces close to them.

"Poe is the reason we even survived this far," The Blue Leader was saying as he and his Squadron made sure their X-Wings were ready to go, and Luke wondered how important was Poe Dameron, though he flew with his mother and knew her to be an impressive flier, maybe the same was true to Poe. "He needs our help now, we'll do anything possible!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The rest of the Blue Squadron said, all of them looking determined.

Luke joined Rey and Finn inside the special forces ship, and waited as they took off and got into Hyperspace.

"There were indications the Daxan Beta First Order base was vulnerable and the Black Squadron, Poe is the leader, got tasked with destroying it, but it was a trap, and now they are there and we need to rescue him!" Finn's voice got stronger the longer he spoke and Luke raised an eyebrow, was Finn into Poe? That would explain a few things.

Looking at Rey, she hadn't noticed it, which wasn't a surprise, she probably didn't know much of relationships. Luke briefly wondered if she had ever been given 'the talk'. The idea made him shudder, maybe he could convince Leia to do it?

After a while in Hyperspace, they reached Daxan Beta and everyone prepared for the rescue mission. Luke meditated with the Force, it told him they would be successful but he needed to be careful.

Wondering what he had to be careful about, Luke ignited his lightsaber, ignoring the looks of awe coming from pretty much everyone in the room.

They had a mission to complete, a man - or however many survivors there were - to save.

And Luke was ready to make a stand for the first time since the destruction of his fledging Jedi Order.

* * *

Captain Phasma wondered how much longer she would need to put up with this ridiculous mess. After she managed to get away from Starkiller Base just before it blew up, Supreme Leader Snoke decided to put her in charge of an operation to strike in revenge against the Resistance.

But that mission was actually a way of getting her killed, Phasma realized pretty fast. She supposed Supreme Leader found out about her deactivation of the shields back in Starkiller and that was her punishment, but even as she would stay loyal to the First Order, she also lost respect to the Supreme Leader. She would never be able to say that aloud, of course, but she was going to mess with his plans.

She didn't think the First Order was actually evil, or wanted redemption, she just wanted to retaliate after finding out that all her years of loyalty were being put behind like that, she had always liked to think she wasn't as easily replaceable as any other Stormtrooper, and she would prove that, by salvaging the Daxan Beta base from the organized attack from the Resistance, that would get there a lot earlier than planned due to her plan.

It was what was necessary, and she didn't regret it, but she was not a traitor, not like FN-2187, or Finn as he apparently liked to be called now.

Maybe she would even get to kill him, she somehow doubted he wouldn't be involved when she contacted him directly.

"Captain, we have captured the leader pilot, Poe Dameron," One of the Stormtroopers - FN-2544, as she knew the numbers of all of them - reported and Phasma smiled behind the mask. She had the Resistance hero with her, they were definitely coming.

She visited Poe Dameron in his cell and he was just as annoying as Kylo Ren had seemed to think he was, but she didn't need to talk to him, so she just went on.

She waited and soon enough, there was a warning of unfriendly ships nearing the planet, just getting out of Hyperspace.

She smirked, it was time to play.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As the Blue Squadron did a diversion on the sky, the Special Forces team went down close to the base while keeping cover on the forest, and everyone inside went to the base, preparing to attack and recover their allies.

Rey held to Luke's old lightsaber, preparing to activate it as soon as it was needed. It felt right in her hands, even as she missed fighting with her staff, that was oh so familiar. She found herself wondering if she could turn her staff into a lightsaber, or something close to that.

She first saw some Stormtroopers and ignited the lightsaber, Luke doing the same behind her while everyone else raised their blasters. With Rey and Luke on front of everyone else, they could diverge the blaster shots and so protect most of the team, though Rey wasn't good enough to deflect it back to the Stormtroopers yet.

After defeating Stormtrooper while advancing into the base, they managed to get in, and much to Rey's surprise Finn went right by her side instead of staying a few steps back, his eyes closed for a moment.

"I can feel him. He's here. He's alive!" Finn said, taking off in one direction as Rey had to run to follow him there. She didn't realize Finn had the Force, but she guessed it made sense, it was interesting his abilities would surface now of all places.

They ran for a while, and then reached what was clearly cells, and Rey - with Luke's help, since he also followed them there - started using the Force to open the cells. There were a lot of prisoners being freed, including BB-8, Rey was happy at recognizing the Droid.

She didn't know most people there, but she met Poe, for a moment, so she recognized him. He was one of the prisoners to be in the best state, but still looked a bit beat up. Finn and Poe looked at each other for a moment, and Rey watched curiously as they hugged.

It was... intimate. More intimate than she would expect Finn to have with a pilot he barely knew, though he had been really touch-feely when they met. But looking at them... Rey wondered if there was something more.

"You need to stop putting yourself in these situations, Poe," Finn said seriously, still keeping his hands on Poe's shoulder.

"At least if I get in danger, I have you to get me out," Poe said back, smiling widely at Finn. "Now let's get off here."

Just as Poe said that, Stormtroopers showed up, clearly having gotten the signal of a break-in. Rey stopped paying attention to Finn and Poe to instead go back to fighting, and between her, Luke and Finn they managed to get rid of the appearing Stormtroopers.

They then, accompanied by the other released prisoners, went back to try and leave Daxan Beta, having now completed the mission they were in.

But then things got complicated again.

There was an entire squad of Stormtroopers around them, led by a different-looking Stormtrooper.

"Phasma," Finn said, looking at the chrome Stormtrooper. "You get out of the trash, then?" He was taunting, but Rey recognized the same kind of false confidence he put in when they first met, but now she could recognize it for what it was.

"FN-2187, of course you would be here, this is the same pilot you defected for, after all," Phasma said back, her voice seeming annoyed at him, and Rey wondered if they'd known each other well before Finn defected.

"My name is Finn, as I've told you," Finn said, and then the conversation was over.

There were so many shots from all directions, Rey wasn't sure how they could possibly survive that, doesn't matter how strong Luke was.

The rest of the Special Forces team showed up, then, and while they were still outnumbered, Rey realized they now had a chance. And so she fought, until Luke made an opening with his lightsaber to outside the base, making it possible for them to leave when before the hoard of Stormtroopers in the door out was stopping them.

Finn and Poe left, the Special Forces team right behind, and Luke and Rey went after providing cover as they passed. But right before Rey was out, she felt a pain go through her shoulder and gritted her teeth.

She looked behind her and realized Phasma had been the one to successfully shoot her. The Dark Side urged Rey to do something about it, and Rey didn't stop it.

Everyone in front of her didn't seem to realize what happened, so Rey went back running, blocking all the blaster shots directed at her with Luke's lightsaber before reaching Phasma. She looked at the her and narrowed her eyes, her hands ready to bring the lightsaber into Phasma.

And then it happened.

Luke was there, his hand over hers and the sudden calm that came with it made Rey relax, and push the Dark Side back.

Looking at Luke in thanks, Rey finally left, making a last look at Phasma as she did. "Tell Kylo Ren that Padmé Skywalker is back, and he'll have to deal with me now."

It was the first time she used the name Luke had given her, and it rolled surprisingly right in her tongue. She wasn't about to give up on Rey - not after all this time - but she knew Kylo Ren had to have known her, when she was a child. And maybe he had suspected her to be Luke's daughter, but she figured it would be interesting to provide proof.

They went back to the ship, the Blue Squadron following them out. And then they went into Hyperspace.

* * *

Finn was still overwhelmed by his feelings over the entire situation, but most of all when he felt Poe inside of the Daxan Beta base, he knew that was the Force, and he had vaguely felt it before, but never anywhere as strong as when Poe needed him.

Poe was by his side in the ship, and their hands were linked, Finn wasn't sure when or how this had happened, but he didn't care.

"Thank you for saving me again, Finn," Poe said, now that everything was quiet and they were safe.

"I couldn't leave you alone, from the moment I found out there was something wrong I couldn't think of anything else. I had to find you. I'm happy I did," Finn said seriously. They had joked about it earlier, but at this point Finn didn't want to try and lighten everything up, he was serious about that.

"And Rey is back, we haven't really talked, I met her for a moment back when you were in a coma. You're happy to see her again, I imagine," Poe remarked and there was a strange edge to his voice Finn couldn't quite identify.

"Yeah! Having her around is great, Rey and I went through a lot together, she's my best friend," Finn answered happily. Before wondering, that was, where it left Poe if Rey was his best friend. He guessed people could have more than one, but it was different with Poe.

"That wasn't exactly what I meant. Aren't you into her?" He asked.

"Into her?" Finn repeated. "Wait, you mean like, if I want her to be my girlfriend or something? Rey's attractive, and I wouldn't mind getting with her, but I hadn't thought about that. Do you think she thinks I like her?"

Poe's eyes widened and then he tried to cover it up, and Finn wondered what that was supposed to mean. "I don't know. Both you and Rey didn't have a lot of romance in your lives, I'm guessing, so it would make sense for her not to think someone has a crush on her... or for you to think that."

Poe sounded weird as he said the last part, and Finn had to wonder a bit at his words before realizing a possibility. "Wait. Do you have a crush on me?" He asked surprised. Finn hadn't thought about that either, but now that he did, that sounded a more wonderful possibility than Rey. But how would Poe Dameron even be into him?

"If you want to put it like that, sure," Finn's eyes widened at Poe's answer, he couldn't believe it, Poe was so good-looking, he probably had loads of people interested in him. Why would he go for Finn. Poe seemed to mistake his silence for something else, however. "That doesn't mean you should feel the same or anything, it's absolutely fine, it's just that you've saved me twice now, and I like you and I felt like you should know. I'm babbling, aren't I?"

Finn was amused he managed to make the usually suave Poe Dameron babble, but he knew he had an answer to give. "You are, but it's fine, your babbling is cute. And, just so you know, I do feel the same."

Poe smiled widely and put his forehead against Finn's, their lips almost touching. "Is it alright if I kiss you right now?"

Finn closed his eyes with a nod, and then Poe kissed him.

Finn hadn't kissed anyone before, there would have been no way to back in the First Order, and he didn't quite know what to expect. It was a pleasant feeling, and Finn thought it was something he would like to keep doing, especially after he really got the hang of it (he was sure there were kissing techniques or something).

When the kiss ended and Finn opened his eyes, Poe was still smiling at him and then most of the rest of the room cheered, the surviving Black Squadron members seeming specially happy.

Finn blushed a bit over kissing Poe in front of other people, and Poe also looked a bit embarrassed, but as he tightened his grip on Poe's hand he decided he didn't really care. And when Poe grinned in answer, he didn't care at all.

* * *

Leia waited with baited breath until everyone came back, especially considering how long it had been since she and Luke really got time to talk.

But the Force told her it would be fine, and so she believed, even when she suddenly felt a spark of the Dark Side, that was soon extinguished.

As she waited, she looked into finding out who the traitor was, who had put everyone in danger.

And as much as she didn't want to believe it, doesn't matter how much she looked into it, there only seemed to be one option, one person who had the means to do it, even if she didn't understand his motives.

"You wanted to talk, General?" Admiral Statura asked, and his voice made it clear he knew she found out. He took a blaster out of nowhere and shot at her, and Leia found herself actively using the Force for the first time in a while as she used it to stop the blaster bolt.

Statura's eyes widened, and Leia couldn't quite blame him when she herself hadn't been aware she could have done something like that, maybe it was something she picked up from seeing Luke, or her son.

The other Resistance members in the room reacted right after the first shot, and Statura was stunned. Leia finally moved her hand, the blaster bolt going to the ceiling with her manipulation of it.

"Get this man under New Republic arrest," Leia ordered and that soon was done. While the Republic was extremely weakened by Starkiller, the direct attack from the First Order made the New Republic finally accept it as a threat, and she had more acceptance from them to act against the First Order, which had its perks.

The team sent to Daxan Beta came back soon enough, then. And way too soon it was time to see Luke, Rey and Chewbacca off again.

She had talked to Luke a bit, but there was still so much more to be said. "I missed you," Leia said. "Try not to be gone for so long this time."

"I won't, Leia. We won't even go back to the first Temple, I just have more to show Rey as she is now my Apprentice," Luke said back with a smile. "I offered to also train Finn, the boy is strong in the Force, but he wants to stay and keep fighting right away. I'd say you two are rather similar. Take care of him."

Leia and Luke parted ways then, and she watched as the Millennium Falcon once more took off, this time with Finn being there to wave her off.

Maybe the Force had been right, and somehow the mission in Daxan Beta had truly been necessary, despite everything.


End file.
